CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 40Meta-analysis and systematic reviewsClinical practice guidelines implementationDelphi Technique in Research

Methodological approaches for assessing certainty of the evidence in umbrella reviews: A scoping review

Open access
Sadoyu, Saranrat, Tanni, Kaniz Afroz, Punrum, Nontaporn, Paengtrai, Sobhon, Kategaew, Warittakorn, Promchit, Nattiwat, Lai, Nai Ming, Thakkinstian, Ammarin +4 more·2022·PLOS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0269009PMC PMC9176806
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

Introduction: The number of umbrella reviews (URs) that compiled systematic reviews and meta-analysis (SR-MAs) has increased dramatically over recent years. No formal guidance for assessing the certainty of evidence in URs of meta-analyses exists nowadays. URs of non-interventional studies help establish evidence linking exposure to certain health outcomes in a population. This study aims to identify and describe the methodological approaches for assessing the certainty of the evidence in published URs of non-interventions. Methods: We searched from 3 databases including PubMed, Embase, and The Cochrane Library from May 2010 to September 2021. We included URs that included SR-MAs of studies with non-interventions. Two independent reviewers screened and extracted data. We compared URs characteristics stratified by publication year, journal ranking, journal impact factor using Chi-square test. Results: Ninety-nine URs have been included. Most were SR-MAs of observational studies evaluating association of non-modifiable risk factors with some outcomes. Only half (56.6%) of the included URs assessed the certainty of the evidence. The most frequently used criteria is credibility assessment (80.4%), followed by GRADE approach (14.3%). URs published in journals with higher journal impact factor assessed certainty of evidence than URs published in lower impact group (77.1 versus 37.2% respectively, p < 0.05). However, criteria for credibility assessment used in four of the seven URs that were published in top ranking journals were slightly varied. Conclusions: Half of URs of MAs of non-interventional studies have assessed the certainty of the evidence, in which criteria for credibility assessment was the commonly used method. Guidance and standards are required to ensure the methodological rigor and consistency of certainty of evidence assessment for URs.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1371/journal.pone.0269009

Cites

9 of 9 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • There remains no standardized method to evaluate the certainty of evidence in overviews of reviews.

    “There remains no standardized method to evaluate the certainty of evidence in overviews of reviews (15,22), so a summary percentage scores were calculated to demonstrate the quality of evidence contributing to each conclusion.”

    From American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews (2026) · cites this paper as [22]

    The Conclusions say guidance and standards are needed for consistent certainty-of-evidence assessment in umbrella reviews, and the Results describe variation in the criteria used. The Discussion limits the study to umbrella reviews of non-intervention studies and says its findings may not represent other types of overviews of reviews, so the broader claim is not fully supported. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 110

  1. [1]Hartling L, Chisholm A, Thomson D, Dryden DM. A descriptive analysis of overviews of reviews published between 2000 and 2011. PLoS One. 2012; 7(11): e49667. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049667 23166744 PMC3499476 · DOI · Paper page
  2. [2]Fusar-Poli P, Radua J. Ten simple rules for conducting umbrella reviews. Evidence Based Mental Health. 2018; 21(3): 95– 100. doi: 10.1136/ebmental-2018-300014 30006442 PMC10270421 · DOI · Paper page
  3. [3]Mishra D, Vora J. Non interventional drug studies in oncology: Why we need them? Perspectives in clinical research. 2010; 1(4): 128– 33. doi: 10.4103/2229-3485.71770 21350727 PMC3043359 · DOI
  4. [4]Committee on the Analysis of Cancer Risks in Populations near Nuclear Facilities-Phase I, Nuclear, Radiation Studies B, Division on E, Life S, National Research C. Analysis of Cancer Risks in Populations Near Nuclear Facilities: Phase I. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US) Copyright 2012 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.; 2012.
  5. [5]Lunny C, Brennan SE, McDonald S, McKenzie JE. Evidence map of studies evaluating methods for conducting, interpreting and reporting overviews of systematic reviews of interventions: rationale and design. Systematic Reviews. 2016; 5(1): 4. doi: 10.1186/s13643-015-0178-0 26739283 PMC4702312 · DOI
  6. [6]Aromataris E, Fernandez R, Godfrey CM, Holly C, Khalil H, Tungpunkom P. Summarizing systematic reviews: methodological development, conduct and reporting of an umbrella review approach. Int J Evid Based Healthc. 2015; 13(3): 132– 40. doi: 10.1097/XEB.0000000000000055 26360830 · DOI · Paper page
  7. [8]De Freitas L, Goodacre S, O’Hara R, Thokala P, Hariharan S. Interventions to improve patient flow in emergency departments: an umbrella review. Emerg Med J. 2018; 35(10): 626– 37. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2017-207263 30093379 · DOI
  8. [9]Papageorgiou PN, Deschner J, Papageorgiou SN. Effectiveness and Adverse Effects of Deep Brain Stimulation: Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses. J Neurol Surg A Cent Eur Neurosurg. 2017; 78(2): 180– 90. doi: 10.1055/s-0036-1592158 27642815 · DOI
  9. [11]Hossain M. Umbrella Review as an Emerging Approach of Evidence Synthesis in Health Sciences: A Bibliometric Analysis. SSRN Electronic Journal. 2020.
  10. [12]Shea BJ, Reeves BC, Wells G, Thuku M, Hamel C, Moran J, et al. AMSTAR 2: a critical appraisal tool for systematic reviews that include randomised or non-randomised studies of healthcare interventions, or both. BMJ. 2017; 358: j4008. doi: 10.1136/bmj.j4008 28935701 PMC5833365 · DOI · Paper page
  11. [13]Abou Ghayda R, Duck-Young Park D, Lee JY, Kim JY, Lee KH, Hong SH, et al. Body mass index and mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease: an umbrella review of meta-analyses. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2021; 25(1): 273– 86. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202101_24393 33506916 · DOI
  12. [14]Arias-de la Torre J, Puigdomenech E, García X, Valderas JM, Eiroa-Orosa FJ, Fernández-Villa T, et al. Relationship Between Depression and the Use of Mobile Technologies and Social Media Among Adolescents: Umbrella Review. J Med Internet Res. 2020; 22(8): e16388. doi: 10.2196/16388 32663157 PMC7481866 · DOI
  13. [15]Avşar TS, McLeod H, Jackson L. Health outcomes of smoking during pregnancy and the postpartum period: an umbrella review. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2021; 21(1): 254. doi: 10.1186/s12884-021-03729-1 33771100 PMC7995767 · DOI · Paper page
  14. [16]Balante J, Broek DVD, White K. How does culture influence work experience in a foreign country? An umbrella review of the cultural challenges faced by internationally educated nurses. Int J Nurs Stud. 2021; 118: 103930. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.103930 33819641 · DOI
  15. [17]Bertelsen AS, Florisson S, Aagesen EK, Rosholm J-U, Nielsen LP. Are older adults insufficiently included in clinical trials?-An umbrella review. Basic and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology. 2021; 128(2): 213– 23. doi: 10.1111/bcpt.13536 33210799 · DOI
  16. [18]Blume KS, Dietermann K, Kirchner-Heklau U, Winter V, Fleischer S, Kreidl LM, et al. Staffing levels and nursing-sensitive patient outcomes: Umbrella review and qualitative study. Health Serv Res. 2021. PMC8522577 33723857
  17. [19]Bonaccorsi G, Manzi F, Del Riccio M, Setola N, Naldi E, Milani C, et al. Impact of the Built Environment and the Neighborhood in Promoting the Physical Activity and the Healthy Aging in Older People: An Umbrella Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(17). PMC7504170 32842526
  18. [20]Bramley P, McArthur K, Blayney A, McCullagh I. Risk factors for postoperative delirium: An umbrella review of systematic reviews. Int J Surg. 2021; 93: 106063. doi: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2021.106063 34411752 · DOI
  19. [21]Burns CJ, Juberg DR. Cancer and occupational exposure to pesticides: an umbrella review. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2021; 94(5): 945– 57. doi: 10.1007/s00420-020-01638-y 33495906 PMC8238729 · DOI
  20. [22]Carvalho AF, Solmi M, Sanches M, Machado MO, Stubbs B, Ajnakina O, et al. Evidence-based umbrella review of 162 peripheral biomarkers for major mental disorders. Transl Psychiatry. 2020; 10(1): 152. doi: 10.1038/s41398-020-0835-5 32424116 PMC7235270 · DOI · Paper page
  21. [23]Fan J, Senthanar S, Macpherson RA, Sharpe K, Peters CE, Koehoorn M, et al. An Umbrella Review of the Work and Health Impacts of Working in an Epidemic/Pandemic Environment. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(13). PMC8297139 34202087
  22. [24]Farazi M, Jayedi A, Shab-Bidar S. Dietary inflammatory index and the risk of non-communicable chronic disease and mortality: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2021: 1– 10. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2021.1943646 34176394 · DOI
  23. [25]Gatti M, Bianchin M, Raschi E, De Ponti F. Assessing the association between fluoroquinolones and emerging adverse drug reactions raised by regulatory agencies: An umbrella review. Eur J Intern Med. 2020; 75: 60– 70. doi: 10.1016/j.ejim.2020.01.009 31983604 · DOI
  24. [26]Hossain MM, Sultana A, Tasnim S, Fan Q, Ma P, McKyer ELJ, et al. Prevalence of mental disorders among people who are homeless: An umbrella review. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2020; 66(6): 528– 41. doi: 10.1177/0020764020924689 32460590 · DOI
  25. [27]Iqbal S, Ali S, Ali I. Maternal pesticide exposure and its relation to childhood cancer: an umbrella review of meta-analyses. Int J Environ Health Res. 2021: 1– 19. doi: 10.1080/09603123.2021.1900550 33745400 · DOI
  26. [28]Kelly MM, Griffith PB. The Influence of preterm birth beyond infancy: Umbrella review of outcomes of adolescents and adults born preterm. J Am Assoc Nurse Pract. 2020; 32(8): 555– 62. doi: 10.1097/JXX.0000000000000248 31651585 · DOI
  27. [29]Kelly MM, Griffith PB. Umbrella Review of School Age Health Outcomes of Preterm Birth Survivors. J Pediatr Health Care. 2020; 34(5): e59– e76. doi: 10.1016/j.pedhc.2020.05.007 32660808 · DOI
  28. [30]Kim JH, Kim JY, Lee J, Jeong GH, Lee E, Lee S, et al. Environmental risk factors, protective factors, and peripheral biomarkers for ADHD: an umbrella review. Lancet Psychiatry. 2020; 7(11): 955– 70. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30312-6 33069318 · DOI · Paper page
  29. [31]Kim MS, Kim WJ, Khera AV, Kim JY, Yon DK, Lee SW, et al. Association between adiposity and cardiovascular outcomes: an umbrella review and meta-analysis of observational and Mendelian randomization studies. Eur Heart J. 2021; 42(34): 3388– 403. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehab454 34333589 PMC8423481 · DOI
  30. [32]Lee KS, Choi YJ, Cho J, Lee H, Lee H, Park SJ, et al. Environmental and Genetic Risk Factors of Congenital Anomalies: an Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. J Korean Med Sci. 2021; 36(28): e183. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e183 34282604 PMC8289720 · DOI
  31. [33]Li W, Pan J, Wei M, Lv Z, Chen S, Qin Y, et al. Non-ocular influence factors for primary glaucoma: an umbrella review of meta-analysis. Ophthalmic Res. 2021. 34517373
  32. [34]Lopez-Leon S, González-Giraldo Y, Wegman-Ostrosky T, Forero DA. Molecular genetics of substance use disorders: An umbrella review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021; 124: 358– 69. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.01.019 33556390 · DOI
  33. [35]Magnavita N, Chirico F, Garbarino S, Bragazzi NL, Santacroce E, Zaffina S. SARS/MERS/SARS-CoV-2 Outbreaks and Burnout Syndrome among Healthcare Workers. An Umbrella Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(8). PMC8072681 33924026
  34. [36]Solmi M, Dragioti E, Arango C, Radua J, Ostinelli E, Kilic O, et al. Risk and protective factors for mental disorders with onset in childhood/adolescence: An umbrella review of published meta-analyses of observational longitudinal studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021; 120: 565– 73. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.09.002 32931804 · DOI
  35. [37]Martinez-Calderon J, Flores-Cortes M, Morales-Asencio JM, Luque-Suarez A. Which Psychological Factors Are Involved in the Onset and/or Persistence of Musculoskeletal Pain? An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Prospective Cohort Studies. Clin J Pain. 2020; 36(8): 626– 37. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000838 32379072 · DOI
  36. [38]Mjaess G, Chebel R, Karam A, Moussa I, Pretot D, Abi Tayeh G, et al. Prognostic role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in urological tumors: an umbrella review of evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Acta Oncol. 2021; 60(6): 704– 13. doi: 10.1080/0284186X.2021.1886323 33586577 · DOI
  37. [39]Mohammed SH, Habtewold TD, Arero AG, Esmaillzadeh A. The state of child nutrition in Ethiopia: an umbrella review of systematic review and meta-analysis reports. BMC Pediatr. 2020; 20(1): 404. doi: 10.1186/s12887-020-02301-8 32847552 PMC7448348 · DOI
  38. [40]Obaid M, Douiri A, Flach C, Prasad V, Marshall I. Can we prevent poststroke cognitive impairment? An umbrella review of risk factors and treatments. BMJ Open. 2020; 10(9): e037982. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-037982 32912953 PMC7482478 · DOI
  39. [42]Palmer Kelly E, Paredes AZ, Tsilimigras DI, Hyer JM, Pawlik TM. The role of religion and spirituality in cancer care: An umbrella review of the literature. Surg Oncol. 2020: 101389. doi: 10.1016/j.suronc.2020.05.004 34103240 · DOI
  40. [43]Paraskevi L, Antigoni S, Kleanthi G. Stress and Anxiety Levels in Couples who Undergo Fertility Treatment: a Review of Systematic Reviews. Mater Sociomed. 2021; 33(1): 60– 4. doi: 10.5455/msm.2021.33.60-64 34012353 PMC8116083 · DOI
  41. [44]Pelletier R, Ng K, Alkabbani W, Labib Y, Mourad N, Gamble JM. The association of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors with cancer: An overview of quantitative systematic reviews. Endocrinol Diabetes Metab. 2020; 3(3): e00145. doi: 10.1002/edm2.145 32704566 PMC7375059 · DOI
  42. [45]Pelletier R, Ng K, Alkabbani W, Labib Y, Mourad N, Gamble JM. Adverse events associated with sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors: an overview of quantitative systematic reviews. Ther Adv Drug Saf. 2021; 12: 2042098621989134. doi: 10.1177/2042098621989134 33552467 PMC7844442 · DOI
  43. [46]Peruzzi M, Biondi-Zoccai G, Carnevale R, Cavarretta E, Frati G, Versaci F. Vaping Cardiovascular Health Risks: an Updated Umbrella Review. Curr Emerg Hosp Med Rep. 2020: 1– 7. doi: 10.1007/s40138-020-00219-0 32837803 PMC7296287 · DOI
  44. [48]Poveda-Moral S, Falcó-Pegueroles A, Ballesteros-Silva MP, Bosch-Alcaraz A. Barriers to Advance Care Planning Implementation in Health care: An Umbrella Review with Implications for Evidence-Based Practice. Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. 2021. 34506051
  45. [49]Rahmanian V, Rahmanian K, Jahromi AS, Bokaie S. Seroprevalence of toxoplasma gondii infection: An umbrella review of updated systematic reviews and meta-analyses. J Family Med Prim Care. 2020; 9(8): 3848– 55. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_753_20 33110778 PMC7586519 · DOI
  46. [50]Román-Gálvez RM, Martín-Peláez S, Martínez-Galiano JM, Khan KS, Bueno-Cavanillas A. Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence in Pregnancy: An Umbrella Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(2). doi: 10.3390/ijerph18020707 33467538 PMC7830915 · DOI
  47. [51]Rydzewska E, Dunn K, Cooper SA. Umbrella systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on comorbid physical conditions in people with autism spectrum disorder. Br J Psychiatry. 2021; 218(1): 10– 9. doi: 10.1192/bjp.2020.167 33161922 · DOI · Paper page
  48. [52]Sahebi A, Nejati-Zarnaqi B, Moayedi S, Yousefi K, Torres M, Golitaleb M. The prevalence of anxiety and depression among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: An umbrella review of meta-analyses. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2021; 107: 110247. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110247 33476692 PMC7817526 · DOI
  49. [53]Sahle BW, Reavley NJ, Li W, Morgan AJ, Yap MBH, Reupert A, et al. The association between adverse childhood experiences and common mental disorders and suicidality: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2021. 33638709
  50. [54]Shams Vahdati S, Ala A, Rahmanpour D, Sadeghi-Hokmabadi E, Tahmasbi F. Neurological manifestations of COVID-19 infection: an umbrella review. Egypt J Neurol Psychiatr Neurosurg. 2021; 57(1): 113. doi: 10.1186/s41983-021-00366-5 34483649 PMC8401342 · DOI
  51. [55]Solmi M, Civardi S, Corti R, Anil J, Demurtas J, Lange S, et al. Risk and protective factors for alcohol and tobacco related disorders: An umbrella review of observational studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021; 121: 20– 8. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.11.010 33248149 · DOI
  52. [56]Solmi M, Dragioti E, Croatto G, Radua J, Borgwardt S, Carvalho AF, et al. Risk and protective factors for cannabis, cocaine, and opioid use disorders: An umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021; 126: 243– 51. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.03.014 33737104 · DOI
  53. [57]Solmi M, Radua J, Stubbs B, Ricca V, Moretti D, Busatta D, et al. Risk factors for eating disorders: an umbrella review of published meta-analyses. Braz J Psychiatry. 2021; 43(3): 314– 23. doi: 10.1590/1516-4446-2020-1099 32997075 PMC8136381 · DOI
  54. [58]Solmi M, Veronese N, Galvano D, Favaro A, Ostinelli EG, Noventa V, et al. Factors Associated With Loneliness: An Umbrella Review Of Observational Studies. J Affect Disord. 2020; 271: 131– 8. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.03.075 32479308 · DOI
  55. [59]Thang Le VN, Kim JG, Yang YM, Lee DW. Risk Factors for Early Childhood Caries: An Umbrella Review. Pediatr Dent. 2021; 43(3): 176– 94. 34172110
  56. [60]Townsend R, Sileo FG, Allotey J, Dodds J, Heazell A, Jorgensen L, et al. Prediction of stillbirth: an umbrella review of evaluation of prognostic variables. Bjog. 2021; 128(2): 238– 50. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.16510 32931648 · DOI
  57. [61]Trott M, Smith L, Xiao T, Veronese N, Koyanagi A, Jacob L, et al. Hearing impairment and diverse health outcomes: An umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies. Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2021. 34159450
  58. [62]Tsiros MD, Tian EJ, Shultz SP, Olds T, Hills AP, Duff J, et al. Obesity, the new childhood disability? An umbrella review on the association between adiposity and physical function. Obes Rev. 2020; 21(12): e13121. doi: 10.1111/obr.13121 32779327 · DOI
  59. [63]Wang Y, Zhong X, Zhou L, Lu J, Jiang B, Liu C, et al. Prognostic Biomarkers for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: An Umbrella Review. Front Oncol. 2020; 10: 1466. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2020.01466 33042793 PMC7527774 · DOI
  60. [64]Weir NM, Preston K, Newham R, Bennie M. Development of a primary care pharmacy outcomes framework: An umbrella literature review. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2021. 34353755
  61. [65]Xia L, Zhao R, Wan Q, Wu Y, Zhou Y, Wang Y, et al. Sarcopenia and adverse health-related outcomes: An umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies. Cancer Med. 2020; 9(21): 7964– 78. doi: 10.1002/cam4.3428 32924316 PMC7643685 · DOI
  62. [66]Xu W, He Y, Wang Y, Li X, Young J, Ioannidis JPA, et al. Risk factors and risk prediction models for colorectal cancer metastasis and recurrence: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies. BMC Med. 2020; 18(1): 172. doi: 10.1186/s12916-020-01618-6 32586325 PMC7318747 · DOI
  63. [67]Zhang TN, Wu QJ, Liu YS, Lv JL, Sun H, Chang Q, et al. Environmental Risk Factors and Congenital Heart Disease: An Umbrella Review of 165 Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses With More Than 120 Million Participants. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2021; 8: 640729. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.640729 33791351 PMC8006458 · DOI
  64. [68]Zhang X, Gill D, He Y, Yang T, Li X, Monori G, et al. Non-genetic biomarkers and colorectal cancer risk: Umbrella review and evidence triangulation. Cancer Med. 2020; 9(13): 4823– 35. doi: 10.1002/cam4.3051 32400092 PMC7333850 · DOI
  65. [69]Apóstolo J, Cooke R, Bobrowicz-Campos E, Santana S, Marcucci M, Cano A, et al. Predicting risk and outcomes for frail older adults: an umbrella review of frailty screening tools. JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep. 2017; 15(4): 1154– 208. doi: 10.11124/JBISRIR-2016-003018 28398987 PMC5457829 · DOI
  66. [70]Belbasis L, Bellou V, Evangelou E. Environmental Risk Factors and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: An Umbrella Review and Critical Assessment of Current Evidence from Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Observational Studies. Neuroepidemiology. 2016; 46(2): 96– 105. doi: 10.1159/000443146 26731747 · DOI
  67. [71]Belbasis L, Bellou V, Evangelou E, Ioannidis JP, Tzoulaki I. Environmental risk factors and multiple sclerosis: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Lancet Neurol. 2015; 14(3): 263– 73. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(14)70267-4 25662901 · DOI
  68. [72]Belbasis L, Dosis V, Evangelou E. Elucidating the environmental risk factors for rheumatic diseases: An umbrella review of meta-analyses. Int J Rheum Dis. 2018; 21(8): 1514– 24. doi: 10.1111/1756-185X.13356 30146746 · DOI
  69. [73]Belbasis L, Köhler CA, Stefanis N, Stubbs B, van Os J, Vieta E, et al. Risk factors and peripheral biomarkers for schizophrenia spectrum disorders: an umbrella review of meta-analyses. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2018; 137(2): 88– 97. doi: 10.1111/acps.12847 29288491 · DOI
  70. [74]Belbasis L, Mavrogiannis MC, Emfietzoglou M, Evangelou E. Environmental factors, serum biomarkers and risk of atrial fibrillation: an exposure-wide umbrella review of meta-analyses. Eur J Epidemiol. 2020; 35(3): 223– 39. doi: 10.1007/s10654-020-00618-3 32180061 · DOI
  71. [75]Belbasis L, Savvidou MD, Kanu C, Evangelou E, Tzoulaki I. Birth weight in relation to health and disease in later life: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. BMC Med. 2016; 14(1): 147. doi: 10.1186/s12916-016-0692-5 27677312 PMC5039803 · DOI · Paper page
  72. [76]Belbasis L, Stefanaki I, Stratigos AJ, Evangelou E. Non-genetic risk factors for cutaneous melanoma and keratinocyte skin cancers: An umbrella review of meta-analyses. J Dermatol Sci. 2016; 84(3): 330– 9. doi: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2016.09.003 27663092 · DOI
  73. [77]Bellou V, Belbasis L, Konstantinidis AK, Evangelou E. Elucidating the risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: an umbrella review of meta-analyses. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2019; 23(1): 58– 66. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.18.0228 30674376 · DOI
  74. [79]Bellou V, Belbasis L, Tzoulaki I, Evangelou E, Ioannidis JP. Environmental risk factors and Parkinson’s disease: An umbrella review of meta-analyses. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2016; 23: 1– 9. doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2015.12.008 26739246 · DOI
  75. [80]Bellou V, Belbasis L, Tzoulaki I, Middleton LT, Ioannidis JPA, Evangelou E. Systematic evaluation of the associations between environmental risk factors and dementia: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Alzheimers Dement. 2017; 13(4): 406– 18. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2016.07.152 27599208 · DOI
  76. [81]Bortolato B, Köhler CA, Evangelou E, León-Caballero J, Solmi M, Stubbs B, et al. Systematic assessment of environmental risk factors for bipolar disorder: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Bipolar Disord. 2017; 19(2): 84– 96. doi: 10.1111/bdi.12490 28470927 · DOI
  77. [82]Bouras E, Karakioulaki M, Bougioukas KI, Aivaliotis M, Tzimagiorgis G, Chourdakis M. Gene promoter methylation and cancer: An umbrella review. Gene. 2019; 710: 333– 40. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2019.06.023 31202904 · DOI
  78. [83]Campbell JM, Bateman E, Peters M, Bowen JM, Keefe DM, Stephenson MD. Fluoropyrimidine and platinum toxicity pharmacogenetics: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Pharmacogenomics. 2016; 17(4): 435– 51. doi: 10.2217/pgs.15.180 26894782 · DOI
  79. [84]Campbell JM, Bateman E, Stephenson MD, Bowen JM, Keefe DM, Peters MD. Methotrexate-induced toxicity pharmacogenetics: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2016; 78(1): 27– 39. doi: 10.1007/s00280-016-3043-5 27142726 · DOI
  80. [85]Campbell JM, Stephenson MD, Bateman E, Peters MD, Keefe DM, Bowen JM. Irinotecan-induced toxicity pharmacogenetics: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Pharmacogenomics J. 2017; 17(1): 21– 8. doi: 10.1038/tpj.2016.58 27503581 · DOI
  81. [86]Carvalho AF, Köhler CA, Fernandes BS, Quevedo J, Miskowiak KW, Brunoni AR, et al. Bias in emerging biomarkers for bipolar disorder. Psychol Med. 2016; 46(11): 2287– 97. doi: 10.1017/S0033291716000957 27193198 · DOI · Paper page
  82. [88]Fullana MA, Tortella-Feliu M, Fernández de la Cruz L, Chamorro J, Pérez-Vigil A, Ioannidis JPA, et al. Risk and protective factors for anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Psychol Med. 2019: 1– 16. doi: 10.1017/S0033291719001247 31172897 · DOI
  83. [89]Giannakou K, Evangelou E, Papatheodorou SI. Genetic and non-genetic risk factors for pre-eclampsia: umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2018; 51(6): 720– 30. doi: 10.1002/uog.18959 29143991 · DOI
  84. [90]Giannakou K, Evangelou E, Yiallouros P, Christophi CA, Middleton N, Papatheodorou E, et al. Risk factors for gestational diabetes: An umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies. PLoS One. 2019; 14(4): e0215372. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215372 31002708 PMC6474596 · DOI
  85. [91]Grabovac I, Veronese N, Stefanac S, Haider S, Jackson SE, Koyanagi A, et al. Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection and Diverse Physical Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review of Meta-analyses of Observational Studies. Clin Infect Dis. 2020; 70(9): 1809– 15. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciz539 31401650 PMC7156772 · DOI
  86. [93]Hossain MM, Purohit N, Sultana A, Ma P, McKyer ELJ, Ahmed HU. Prevalence of mental disorders in South Asia: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Asian J Psychiatr. 2020; 51: 102041. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102041 32315966 · DOI
  87. [94]Hutchens BF, Kearney J. Risk Factors for Postpartum Depression: An Umbrella Review. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2020; 65(1): 96– 108. doi: 10.1111/jmwh.13067 31970924 · DOI · Paper page
  88. [95]Kim JY, Son MJ, Son CY, Radua J, Eisenhut M, Gressier F, et al. Environmental risk factors and biomarkers for autism spectrum disorder: an umbrella review of the evidence. Lancet Psychiatry. 2019; 6(7): 590– 600. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30181-6 31230684 · DOI · Paper page
  89. [96]Li L, Tan J, Liu L, Li J, Chen G, Chen M, et al. Association between H. pylori infection and health Outcomes: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. BMJ Open. 2020; 10(1): e031951. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031951 31924635 PMC6955574 · DOI
  90. [97]Lucaroni F, Cicciarella Modica D, Macino M, Palombi L, Abbondanzieri A, Agosti G, et al. Can risk be predicted? An umbrella systematic review of current risk prediction models for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and hypertension. BMJ Open. 2019; 9(12): e030234. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030234 31862737 PMC6937066 · DOI · Paper page
  91. [98]Lucaroni F, Morciano L, Rizzo G, F DA, Buonuomo E, Palombi L, et al. Biomarkers for predicting spontaneous preterm birth: an umbrella systematic review. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2018; 31(6): 726– 34. doi: 10.1080/14767058.2017.1297404 28274163 · DOI
  92. [99]Machado MO, Veronese N, Sanches M, Stubbs B, Koyanagi A, Thompson T, et al. The association of depression and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. BMC Med. 2018; 16(1): 112. doi: 10.1186/s12916-018-1101-z 30025524 PMC6053830 · DOI
  93. [100]O’Sullivan JW, Muntinga T, Grigg S, Ioannidis JPA. Prevalence and outcomes of incidental imaging findings: umbrella review. Bmj. 2018; 361: k2387. doi: 10.1136/bmj.k2387 29914908 PMC6283350 · DOI
  94. [101]Parreira P, Maher CG, Steffens D, Hancock MJ, Ferreira ML. Risk factors for low back pain and sciatica: an umbrella review. Spine J. 2018; 18(9): 1715– 21. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2018.05.018 29792997 · DOI · Paper page
  95. [102]Piovani D, Danese S, Peyrin-Biroulet L, Nikolopoulos GK, Lytras T, Bonovas S. Environmental Risk Factors for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: An Umbrella Review of Meta-analyses. Gastroenterology. 2019; 157(3): 647– 59.e4. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2019.04.016 31014995 · DOI
  96. [104]Raglan O, Kalliala I, Markozannes G, Cividini S, Gunter MJ, Nautiyal J, et al. Risk factors for endometrial cancer: An umbrella review of the literature. Int J Cancer. 2019; 145(7): 1719– 30. doi: 10.1002/ijc.31961 30387875 · DOI
  97. [105]Smith L, Luchini C, Demurtas J, Soysal P, Stubbs B, Hamer M, et al. Telomere length and health outcomes: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies. Ageing Res Rev. 2019; 51: 1– 10. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2019.02.003 30776454 · DOI
  98. [106]Tortella-Feliu M, Fullana MA, Pérez-Vigil A, Torres X, Chamorro J, Littarelli SA, et al. Risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2019; 107: 154– 65. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.013 31520677 · DOI
  99. [107]Van Der Burg N, Bakker PR, Van Os J, Van Harten P, Al Hadithy A. The genetics of drug-related movement disorders an umbrella review of meta-analyses. Schizophrenia Bulletin. 2018; 44: S295. 32020047
  100. [108]Veronese N, Demurtas J, Soysal P, Smith L, Torbahn G, Schoene D, et al. Sarcopenia and health-related outcomes: an umbrella review of observational studies. European Geriatric Medicine. 2019; 10(6): 853– 62. doi: 10.1007/s41999-019-00233-w 34652767 · DOI
  101. [109]Yang T, Li X, Montazeri Z, Little J, Farrington SM, Ioannidis JPA, et al. Gene-environment interactions and colorectal cancer risk: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies. Int J Cancer. 2019; 145(9): 2315– 29. doi: 10.1002/ijc.32057 30536881 PMC6767750 · DOI
  102. [110]Zhou C, Zhong X, Song Y, Shi J, Wu Z, Guo Z, et al. Prognostic Biomarkers for Gastric Cancer: An Umbrella Review of the Evidence. Front Oncol. 2019; 9: 1321. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2019.01321 31850212 PMC6895018 · DOI
  103. [111]Balshem H, Helfand M, Schünemann HJ, Oxman AD, Kunz R, Brozek J, et al. GRADE guidelines: 3. Rating the quality of evidence. J Clin Epidemiol. 2011; 64(4): 401– 6. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2010.07.015 21208779 · DOI · Paper page
  104. [112]Schlesinger S, Schwingshackl L, Neuenschwander M, Barbaresko J. A critical reflection on the grading of the certainty of evidence in umbrella reviews. Eur J Epidemiol. 2019; 34(9): 889– 90. doi: 10.1007/s10654-019-00531-4 31222608 PMC6759658 · DOI
  105. [113]Ali MJ. Questioning the Impact of the Impact Factor. A Brief Review and Future Directions. Semin Ophthalmol. 2022; 37(1): 91– 6. doi: 10.1080/08820538.2021.1922713 33969807 · DOI
  106. [114]Rizkallah J, Sin DD. Integrative Approach to Quality Assessment of Medical Journals Using Impact Factor, Eigenfactor, and Article Influence Scores. PLOS ONE. 2010; 5(4): e10204. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010204 20419115 PMC2855371 · DOI
  107. [115]Saginur M, Fergusson D, Zhang T, Yeates K, Ramsay T, Wells G, et al. Journal impact factor, trial effect size, and methodological quality appear scantly related: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Systematic Reviews. 2020; 9(1): 53. doi: 10.1186/s13643-020-01305-w 32164791 PMC7069162 · DOI
  108. [116]Gianfredi V, Nucci D, Amerio A, Signorelli C, Odone A, Dinu M. What Can We Expect from an Umbrella Review? Advances in Nutrition. 2022; 13(2): 684– 5. PMC8970837 37270205
  109. [117]Ioannidis JP, Trikalinos TA. An exploratory test for an excess of significant findings. Clin Trials. 2007; 4(3): 245– 53. doi: 10.1177/1740774507079441 17715249 · DOI · Paper page
  110. [119]Papatheodorou SI, Tsilidis KK, Evangelou E, Ioannidis JP. Application of credibility ceilings probes the robustness of meta-analyses of biomarkers and cancer risk. J Clin Epidemiol. 2015; 68(2): 163– 74. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.09.004 25433443 · DOI

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Sadoyu, S., Tanni, K. A., Punrum, N., Paengtrai, S., Kategaew, W., Promchit, N., Lai, N. M., Thakkinstian, A., Ngorsuraches, S., Bangpan, M., Veettil, S., & Chaiyakunapruk, N.
Affiliations
  • Auburn University (US)
  • Chiang Mai University (TH)
  • University of Utah (US)
  • Monash University Malaysia (MY)
  • Mahidol University (TH)
  • University College London (GB)
Corresponding author
Chaiyakunapruk, Nathorn
ORCID
Venue
PLOS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2022-06-08
Volume
17
Issue
6
Pages
e0269009
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0269009
PMC
PMC9176806
OpenAlex
W4285741873
Cited by
40
References
9
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 2
FWCI
2.30
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty › Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Clinical practice guidelines implementation
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Delphi Technique in Research
Keywords
umbrella review, quality of evidence, credibility assessment, GRADE, non-interventional study, observational studies, methodological quality, journal impact factor, reporting guidelines
MeSH terms
Review Literature As Topic, Review Literature as Topic, Journal Impact Factor

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review